What's in a Name?
by Hotarunokoishi
Summary: It was all that she had left and she wouldn't give it up with out a fight.KuramaOC. Don't like it? Don't read. XP
1. Enter the Shadow

**Uh...Disclaimer...I don't own shit...Enjoy the new story that most likely won't be finished anytime soon. Don't blame me. Blame society for making me have to get a job.**

Fear.

She'd never really felt it before now. But it seemed that Fate was making up for lost time; the feeling swamped her, clutching her heart and lungs with icy, paralyzing fingers.

But she'd never let _them_ know it, those that were causing this intense fear. It just wasn't her style. Those ice blue eyes still held their trademark defiance as they stared down the line of those that would have her dead.

The entire scenario had been a huge set up. A trap.

If she got out of this alive, she'd skin the bastards that set this up.

"So," a snide voice, dripping with patronizing authority. From the crowd, stepped a boy; mere teen with a wild mass of bark brown hair, shrewd golden eyes, and a bright blue pacifier sticking out from between his lips. "This is the great Shadow. Supposedly the single most efficient assassin in all three of the worlds…"

Like any cornered animal, she snarled ferally, showing the Spirit world's prince just exactly how sharp her fangs—and blades—still were.

She laughed when he jumped.

"Are you going to give up," he stammered after regaining his composure. "Or do we have to take you in by force?"

"You'll have to kill me first," she growled, hands gripping her twin swords tight.

"I'd rather not."

"Well, _I'd_ rather not be captured and thrown into a cell to rot."

"I'll make a deal with you," the boy's brow—marked with bizarre lettering—furrowed in thought.

"Daft child," she laughed. "Don't you know better than to make deals with demons?"

He wrinkled his nose at her in quiet, patient rage. "I'll make a deal with you," he repeated. "Work for me, and I'll clean your record." There was a slight sense of dissention amongst his ranks at his words.

"I'd rather die than be caged. I told you that already. Or are you as deaf as you are dumb?"

"I'd rather not see someone so talented die because of her own stubbornness. And you've not yet reached the peak of your power. I'll offer one more time. Come work for me, grow stronger and I'll clean your record. If you refuse, know this, my fighters will show you no mercy but they won't kill you. They'll defeat you and you'll work for me for the rest of eternity."

At his words, four figures joined him. Her eyes widened as she recognized each face. The champions of the Dark Tournament.

_Yusuke Urameshi, Genkai's disciple, inheritor of the Spirit Wave and the man who'd beaten the younger Toguro brother._

_Kazuma Kuwabara, wielder of the Spirit Sword, and the one who had killed Toguro the elder._

_Hiei of the Jagan, the only one to master of the Darkness flame which had vanquished Bui._

_Kurama Minamino, better known as the Thief King Youko Kurama, who had given himself completely to destroy Karasu._

If these were the fighters Koenma had spoken of, she was royally fucked.

Her mind raced, trying desperately to find a way out. She was surrounded; there was no where to run. She couldn't fight her way out of the herd of people; there were far too many of them. The only way out was to win her freedom.

"A deal, child," she snarled, bound and determined to hold on to the fleeting illusion that she still had the upper hand. "I'll go against _one_ of your men. If I win, I go free."

"And if you lose?"

"In the highly unlikely scenario that I lose," she sneered, "You get me."

**What do you all think?**


	2. Take the Plunge

**I don't own. Let's get on with it...**

"Deal," Koenma said without hesitation.

"Are you so sure this is a good idea, Koenma," Kuwabara muttered.

"The oaf finally has a point that isn't on the top of his head," Hiei said with a nod. "What if she wins or dies in the process? You lose."

"Kurama," Koenma looked to the redhead. "You fight."

"What?"

"You're the smartest and the one the least likely to kill her," the prince reasoned. "Fight her and beat her, but don't let her die."

The teen nodded solemnly. He sighed quietly before stepping into the circle of people.

"What's this," she laughed. "You're putting me up against this—"

"If your next words involve any derogatory remarks about my gender or sexual preferences," hard emerald eyes narrowed, "I suggest you keep them to yourself."

"So he _does_ have a spine," she laughed, tucking a stray strand of inky black hair behind her pointed ear. She deftly rolled her swords over her hands, repositioning the blades. "Too bad I'll have to rip it out."

And so the pair began to circle each other. Kurama's whip snapped in harsh warning in his hand.

"I never really expected the one and only Shadow to be a woman," Kurama mused aloud, looking to get a rise out of her. He could smell the fear about her. Maybe he could use that against her. Anger and fear were almost always used best by an opponent. "How do I know you're the real thing?"

But his plan backfired spectacularly on him. "I never expected the great Youko to be housed in such a pathetic frame," she sneered, cobalt eyes biting with an icy cold. "How do _I_ know _you're _really a man?"

The beast in the back of his mind bristled dangerously. His eyes glinted gold and Kurama found himself biting back a rather nasty comment from Youko about showing her just how much of a man he truly was. Instead, he chose to crack his rose whip threateningly. "I thought I told you not to comment on my gender."

The assassin, for her credit, didn't even flinch. "What can I say," she fired back with a cold laugh. "I don't listen unless I'm paid to."

With that, she attacked, blades cutting through the air. Kurama dodged easily, knocking the swords aside. When he attacked, she effortlessly evaded.

The dance went on for a few minutes before the first hit was scored; the lick of a thorn across her cheek. She jumped back, the back of her hand wiping at the blood before lowering to her lips, twisted up in an unholy smirk. She sheathed the swords and looked out at him from beneath her ebony bangs.

"It's been a while since I've actually been hit," she laughed. "I guess I can stop testing the waters. It's time to take the plunge."

Ok, so she knew he was more than just that pretty face; he hadn't beaten Karasu with luck alone. The comments had merely been to see if she could crack that damned unflappable exterior.

But her insults hadn't fazed him. _And_ he'd hit her…

The blood in her veins sang with wicked glee as she put up her blades drawing two sword hilts from the leather sheathes strapped to her thighs. The icy silver felt cool and calming in her grip, her skin sensitive to the etchings in the handles.

Her opponent didn't speak but she heard the braying of one of his companions. "What does she think she's gonna' do with those?"

She channeled her aura into the hilts, feeling the runes grow excruciatingly hot against her palms. Blades of pure jet burst from the silver hilts.

She could hear braying from the sidelines; something about move copying. Too bad she'd been using and perfecting this for over two centuries.

She eyed the redhead, meeting his verdant eyes and seeing a touch of shock amongst the emerald ice. "Are you ready?"

And the dance resumed. Attack, dodge. Counter, block. When his whip wrapped itself around one of the shadowy blades, she struck, channeling more energy into the hilts.

The onyx blade burnt completely through the whip, rendering it useless.

She couldn't resist laughing at the look of pure shock on his face. It wasn't unexpected—most people had that look on their face when they saw what her blades could really do. She just hadn't expected it to look so…cute, on him.

She continued her forward drive, slashing half heartedly. It was odd, though she fought for her freedom, she didn't want to hurt him. Just beat him.

When he ducked under her blades, grabbing her wrists, it shocked the hell out of her. The hilts clattered to the ground noisily.

He was too close, his chest against hers, his hands holding hers out to the sides. All she could see were flashes of heated bright green amidst the crimson of his bangs. She had to get away.

Mind racing for an escape, a single, ludicrous thought rushed into her mind and she could do nothing to stop it.

It was a pure shock tactic. But hopefully, it would work.

And if it didn't…Well, it'd be a nice way to go.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the small space between them and sealed her lips to his.

**What a way to go, indeed...**


	3. End the Dance

**I don't own YYH. Go on, rub it in. You prick...**

**Where were we? Oh yeah, Kurama molesting. On with the show. Money will be collected later.**

Kurama, for once, couldn't think.

Those soft lips against his made it all too difficult for him to distinguish enemy from lover.

But the ball of her foot slamming into his diaphragm soon helped him separate the two.

Kurama was pushed back with a soft grunt, the foot smushing into his gut making him wince. He saw she'd picked back up her weapons and was heading towards him again.

With a small smile, he decided to beat the assassin at her own game. He pulled a seed from the many in his pocket and waited, ready for her to come within his range.

And she did. He repeated his earlier movements, ducking under her blades. Though instead of grabbing hold of her wrists, one hand cupped her jaw, opening it while the other hand put the see in her mouth. Without a thought, he crushed his mouth against hers, plying the seed with his own aura and willing it to burst, releasing the sleeping powder within.

The powder took effect quickly and her body went limp in his arms. He released her mouth and couldn't help seeing the hatred and fury burning beneath the ice of her azure eyes before she passed out completely.

Lifting her body in his arms, Kurama gently carried her back to his shocked comrades. "It's done."

With a gilded edge to his emerald eyes, he gave the three other boys a quick, feral glare. "And one word on my methods and you'll feel the end of my whip."

Kuwabara's eyes widened to the size of small diner plates. Yusuke raised his eyebrows and gives a small nod. But Hiei's smirk was more than Kurama could handle at the moment; the fox turned away, the girl still in his arms.

**Yes, this is a short chapter. But it's the way I've broken up the story. Any complaints concerning this matter will be laughed at and then ignored.**


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